Chapter 2

I found out he'd gone to a small courtyard on the west side of the city.

As soon as the door opened, a girl in pink rushed into his arms.

Bradley lifted his arms to hold her close and walked into the house.

Even from a distance, I could clearly see who it was.

It was Chelsea.

Wait, it was Dolly Odell.

She was the girl Bradley brought back with him when he was sent out of Zorvath on a mission.

He told me that Dolly's parents, while fleeing for their lives, sold her to a trafficker and only took her little brother with them.

Fortunately, Dolly was quick-witted and managed to escape from the trafficker.

She collapsed from hunger right in front of Bradley's carriage.

Moved by her plight, Bradley took her back to his estate.

He even gave her a new name, Chelsea.

Chelsea stayed at the estate for half a year before she suddenly claimed she'd bumped into her childhood friend and wanted to leave with him.

I was so worried about her back then, afraid she'd end up with the wrong people.

Who would've thought she'd be hiding out in this courtyard, tangled up with Bradley?

That night, when I confronted him, Bradley tried to talk his way out of it at first.

But once he realized I'd been tailing him, he had no choice but to come clean.

He said, "Well, it's probably for the best that you found out. At least now I don't have to carry this guilt around every day.

"Chelsea is so cute and full of life. I couldn't help but fall for her. If you can't accept it, I'll keep her somewhere else."

I lost it and fought with Bradley.

I broke down in tears, demanding how he could treat all the years we'd spent together like this.

I even threatened to end it all, but he just brushed me off, annoyed.

Bradley said, "We're not young anymore. Why bother with all this talk about love?

"Megyn Brook, you're the matriarch of the Marquis Estate. Don't act so crazy."

Once everything was out in the open, Bradley started visiting Chelsea openly, not bothering to hide it anymore.

At first, he'd go to see her every three days, then every two days...

Eventually, he just stopped coming home altogether.

Even when he did come back, he'd stay in the study and hardly say a word to me.

The first night we moved into separate rooms, he ordered the servants to clear out all his clothes and personal items from our room.

"Chelsea gets jealous. She doesn't like me staying with you, so I need to keep her appeased," he said.

Listening to Bradley's sickening words, I felt like I was gagging on a fly.

After all those years as childhood sweethearts, this was what I got in the end.

For a long time, I couldn't come to terms with it.

My parents died early, and I had no one from my own family to talk to.

I stayed alone in the empty Marquis Estate, spending my days in tears.

I became quiet and hardly spoke to anyone.

Later, my aunt, who moved to Mirenly after getting married, sent me a letter, inviting me to come stay with her for a while.

I spent half a year in Mirenly, and it was only then that I finally felt whole again.

The carriage arrived at the villa on the south side of the city.

I gave my maid a few instructions, then turned and knocked on the door.

A slender, pale hand slipped out from the crack in the door, grabbed my arm, and tugged me forcefully into the courtyard.

The door slammed shut with a bang, and I was instantly wrapped up in Curtis's embrace.

Curtis pressed his nose against the hollow of my neck, rubbing it in with playful insistence.

"It's been days since I last saw you, my lady. Have you been busy with your husband's birthday?" he teased.

Curtis's voice was pouty, with a clear hint of jealousy mixed in.

"Don't forget, my birthday's coming up soon, too," he added.

I could feel the warmth of his palm against my lower back, and my heart fluttered a little.

When we first met, he was a skinny, fragile boy, but in only a year and a half, he'd grown so much that he was now a head taller than me.

Now, Curtis was still lean, but he stood straight and tall, looking strong and quietly tough.

Suddenly, some images I could never speak of started flashing through my mind.

My cheeks flushed.

Well.

Now, I knew why Bradley would rather stay with Chelsea than come back home.

It looked like I was finally getting a taste of this sweet paradise myself.

I reached up and gave Curtis's head a gentle pat, trying to soothe him.

I said, "I figured you were busy with your studies at the academy, so I've been holding myself back from coming to see you.

"The reason I went out today was to pick out a gift for your birthday."

I held out the paperweight I'd just bought to him.

Curtis took the paperweight with a bright smile, but his eyes soon clouded over.

"You treat me so well, my lady, but I feel like I have nothing to give back," Curtis said softly.

"Just study hard and make something of yourself in the future. That's the best gift you could ever give me," I replied.

I didn't take Curtis's words to heart.

Curtis was sharp. If he didn't hit the books, it'd be a shame.

While Bradley was off serving as an official, I was the one managing all the household affairs and finances.

So naturally, I knew exactly how much wealth Bradley's estate had.

When I got married, my parents made sure I had a pretty generous dowry, too.

If Bradley could throw money around for Chelsea without a second thought, why shouldn't I be able to do the same?

Honestly, after seeing how Bradley turned out to be such an ungrateful jerk, I never expected anything back from Curtis.

Honestly, I was splurging for the fun of it. No strings attached, just buying myself a little happiness.

"If you want to make it up to me... well, there are other ways," I whispered.

I leaned in and whispered seductively in Curtis's ear.

Before I could even finish my words, Curtis hoisted me onto his shoulder and carried me off to the room at a brisk pace.

His ears were bright red, but he was almost rushing, unable to hold back his eagerness.

That striking contrast instantly wiped away all the frustration I'd felt after bumping into Bradley.